Suspensions and revocations

Conviction of a serious traffic violation or multiple traffic violations can result in the suspension or revocation of your driver license or privilege to drive in New York State. It is illegal to drive here when your driver license or driving privilege 1 is suspended or revoked.

If your license or driving privilege is suspended or revoked, DMV will send a notice (called an “order”) to the address we have on file. Be sure to follow the instructions on the order.

Suspended driving privilege

A suspension means your license or driving privilege will be taken away for a period of time. You may need to pay a suspension termination fee. Your suspension period can be definite (which has a beginning and end date) or indefinite, which does not end until you take a required action.

Definite suspensions

If you receive a definite suspension order, it will tell you how long the suspension period will last. You cannot drive until the period ends, you pay a termination fee, and have a valid driver license again. You can use DMV’s My License, Permit or ID service to check if your license is valid.

Note: Your license or driving privilege may be suspended due to a medical condition that affects your ability to drive safely (see Administrative Review Suspensions).

Revoked driver license or driving privilege

If you receive an order from DMV saying your license or driving privilege is revoked, this means your license has been cancelled and you must get a new one when the revocation period ends. In most cases, before you can get a new license you must first request approval from DMV when the revocation period is over. You may be required to take the written and driving tests again and pay a license re­application fee. Your application may be denied if you have a high risk driving record or fail to meet DMV requirements. You may also need to pay a driver civil penalty before your license or driving privilege can be restored.

How to check if your license is suspended or revoked

1. A driving privilege is your legal authority to drive in a state other than the state that issued your driver license. If you have a driver license issued in another state, DMV can revoke your privilege to drive in New York State, but your out-of-state license may still be valid to drive in other states.

6. If you were suspended because you did not answer a traffic ticket issued in New York City or Rochester (the ticket will say “Traffic Violations Bureau”), you can plead or pay for the ticket online. If the traffic ticket was issued in any other part of New York State, you must contact the local court directly. DMV’s My License, Permit or ID service can give you additional information about where to respond to a traffic ticket.

7. If you were suspended because you did not pay a fine for a traffic ticket issued in New York City or Rochester (the ticket will say “Traffic Violations Bureau”), you can pay the fine online. If the traffic ticket was issued in any other part of New York State, you must contact the local court directly. DMV’s My License service can give you additional information about where to pay to a traffic ticket.

8. To remove a suspension for the failure to pay child support, you must contact the local child support enforcement agency or the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). The OTDA website has a list of local child support enforcement agencies.

9. For information on clearing these suspensions, contact the Department of Taxation and Finance at 518-862-6000 or visit their website at www.tax.ny.gov.